Starting the 2024-25 school year strong, we at Prospectus are featuring our first Professor Spotlight on Parkland’s only on-campus political science professor, the exceptionally fascinating Dale Gardner.
Gardner has been teaching since the 1980s in various universities and locations, both domestic and international. With his many years of experience surrounding political science inside and outside the classroom, we sat down with Gardner and asked questions about his life and teaching experiences.
Gardner’s Life Before Teaching
Growing up in Oklahoma in the 1960s, Gardner imagined having “a pretty normal childhood” for his generation and reflected upon the differences between then and now. He noted that “air conditioning wasn’t nearly as common,” and there was no technology that we would call technology today besides television.
Gardner attended the University of Oklahoma for his undergraduate experience, majoring in Public Administration with a focus on foreign service that concentrated on four specific areas: Political Science, Economics, History and Russian.
Gardner found the choice to pursue teaching political science after bumping “around Europe for a few months” after receiving his bachelor’s degree. This period helped lead him to continue his education in graduate school at Northwestern University for political science as he felt it “seemed to be the most natural thing to do.” He started as a teaching assistant there and has been teaching “off and on since then.”
Gardner’s Political Science Experience
When Gardner was asked about his favorite experiences or opportunities within his field, he said it had been “teaching and his various research opportunities overseas.” Going more into detail, he said, “I was on a scholarship in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, and not too long after that, I was in the former Soviet Union in Lithuania teaching political science at a couple of the colleges they had over there.”
Gardner was then given the opportunity to participate in the Civic Education Project, which took him to Eastern Europe. According to Gardner, the project was “set up to try and fill in gaps after the fall of communism, teaching academic areas that were not really taught under communism, like sociology, political science, law and history.”
Another great experience for him was teaching at Antioch College, where he taught for four years. In particular, Gardner talked about a study abroad experience he led based in Kraków, Poland, where he traveled to different parts of Europe, something that he “knew pretty well from previous experiences.” Gardner added that “These are the kinds of things that have enriched my life and academic career.”
Outside of teaching, Gardner serves on the general committee for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby group in Washington, D.C. He attends the group’s once-a-year meeting, where they lobby with our members of Congress, senators, or both. Gardner went on to mention that one of the benefits of being part of the committee was that “It keeps me a little bit in practice with my relationships with politicians.”
Gardner’s First-Year Experience Course
Outside of his political science courses, Gardner also teaches a first-year experience course that provides guidance to students. “It’s sort of like sharing my experience from being around academia all my life and trying to nurture students to succeed in college or choose not to go to college,” he said.
“It’s not like you can’t live a great life without a college degree, but you definitely want people to succeed in their choices, and I want to encourage them to succeed here, too.”
The class helps teach topics like being a better student and the steps needed when researching a career path. Gardner believes that what any student can take out of the course is the knowledge of learning “all of the resources made available to them that aren’t available in a high school setting.” Knowing all the ins and outs of how college works can be a challenging experience, so this course is excellent for anyone searching for direction.
Gardner’s Advice to College Students
When asked, “If you could give any piece of advice to your college students, what would it be?” Gardner responded,
“Stick with your projects, find your support groups to keep you on track, and don’t feel like you’re stuck to a timetable. Sometimes, you can’t get it done in three years; sometimes, it might be eight years, but you find the pace that works for you.”
This advice is highly relevant to college students, especially when many feel pressured to have their college experience timed out in a specific way. However, it is vital to note that this advice is not limited to the college setting but, as Gardner puts it, “for life in general.”
Gardner will continue teaching political science classes next spring, making his courses an excellent option for those seeking credit for political science. He is passionate about what he teaches, is highly experienced, and wants to see his students succeed, which is the perfect combination to ensure your success next semester.
